Submitted- Logan Zakrajshek
To all gusties,
We believe that it is in the best interest of our student body to buckle down on our composting & recycling options. Gustavus as an institution has presented us with a choice, an opportunity
to limit our impact on the environment. All paper towels & to-go options such as gustieware are compostable at a plethora of composting locations. Additionally our reliance on non-renewable energy is being lowered significantly with sustainable green projects, such as our own solar array capable of producing 10% of our campus’ energy usage.
Our composting initiative on campus includes an industrial grade composter. Here we convert all food waste, compostable utensils, compostable containers, and some landscaping waste into usable compost to be used for landscaping and Big Hill Farm. All bathrooms within dorm buildings include a compost bin for paper towels, however these vessels become filled with everyday trash. Less than 50% of all residential hall bathroom waste gets composted due to the quantity of trash within them, and is sent to the landfill with all other waste. We invite the student body to be more conscientious about throwing trash in these containers, especially considering ALL dorms come with a trash and recycling bin.
What campus has offered us is just that choice, which is one that many students are ignoring. We have to choose to compost our compostables, and more importantly, choose to make sure no trash is ending up in our compost bins. Did you know that 40% of all composters receive compost with trace plastics because too much trash is mixed in it? We have a wonderful custodial staff on campus, but it is not their job to dig trash out of compost bins, it is ours to not put it in there in the first place.
We offer you, the student body, a choice to keep our waste from being simple trash. For now we only have one earth. One planet in a vast unending universe. It’s our duty, our calling to protect it in any way we can no matter how small. However it starts with a simple choice, the same one provided by our campus: composting.
If you have any interest in getting involved regarding sustainability on campus, consider reaching out to the Johnson Sustainability Center!
-Sincerely, The Environmental Action Coalition